Network Security Tips: Use Password Alternatives

Compromised passwords are often used to commit attacks ranging from phishing to larger network breaches.

Millions of online passwords have been stolen in cyber attacks that range from individual phishing attacks to larger network breaches of major companies. The problem, according to this CBC News report is that people rarely use different strong passwords, consisting of random characters, for every website they visit because such passwords are hard to remember.

In this network security article, Markus Jakobsson, a Swedish network security researcher, proposes "fastwords," a series of random words that people can weave into a story to help them remember.

"Jason Perlow, senior technology editor at the technology website ZDNet, says some image-based authentication techniques are already being used as password alternatives.

"For example, Facebook requires users to identify their friends in a series of photos before reactivating accounts that have been hacked, he told The Current.

"Another company asks users to pick three pictures in order randomly placed in a 15-picture grid as their 'pass pictures.'"